RALEIGH, N.C. - The TCNJ softball team split Day 1 of the Triangle Collegiate Softball Classic Friday afternoon, falling 2-1 to 19th-ranked Muskingum before bouncing back with a 1-0 win over NYU.
 
GAME 1: Muskingum 2, TCNJ 1
 
In a pitchers' duel between the Lions' (2-0) Elizabeth Gosse and the Muskies' Tareyn Born, it was the latter hitting a game-winning home run in the bottom of the sixth to hand TCNJ the close, 2-1 loss.
 
Muskingum (1-1) capitalized on a Lions error to break open the scoring in the second inning, using a single back up the middle off the bat of Eliana Shaheen to take a one-run lead. Held to just one hit through four innings, the Lions were finally able to respond in the top of the fifth.
 
Mckayla Yard – who had TCNJ's lone hit of the day to that point – struck again with a shot to left center to start the rally. The senior used a sacrifice bunt and Muskies error to move to third, setting up Kaci Neveling to hit one down the left field line and score Yard, knotting the score at one.
 
Gosse continued to mow down Muskingum batters – the junior retired 12 straight after allowing the run in the second inning – but in her third faceoff against Born it was the two-way sophomore hitting one over the fence to give the Muskies a 2-1 lead heading into the seventh.
 
Yard attempted to start another rally with her third hit of the day, but was only able to get as far as second before a groundout ended the game in a narrow defeat.
 
STANDOUT LIONS

• Yard was a perfect 3-3 at the plate with a trio of singles.
• Neveling finished 1-2 with TCNJ's lone RBI.
• Gosse allowed two runs – one earned – on three hits across six innings in her second start of the season.

GAME 2: TCNJ 1, NYU 0
 
It was more of the same in Friday's second game, but this time it was the Lions capitalizing on an error in the fifth inning to plate the game's lone run en route to the 1-0 win over the Violets (0-2).
 
Both sides mustered up a single hit in the opening inning before TCNJ threatened in the second. Maya Knasiak and Sara Vincent hit back-to-back singles to put two on before a two-out single from Morgan Estelow loaded the bases. The threat remained just that, however, with Neveling flying out to third base to end the inning with the game still scoreless.
 
Knasiak – who had one of the Lions' seven hits on the day – was equally as effective on the mound in the win, keeping NYU off the board until TCNJ finally struck in the bottom of the fifth. Ryleigh Manning led off the frame with a single to left, working her way to third after a sac bunt and deep fly ball to right field. Stepping to the plate was Yard, who hit a hard ball to second, forcing an error that allowed Manning to score and give the Lions the 1-0 lead.
 
The sophomore pitcher was at her best late in Friday's game, retiring the Violets' next six batters to earn the win in shutout fashion.
 
STANDOUT LIONS

• Knasiak moved to 2-0 on the season, fanning six in seven shutout innings.
• Estelow went 2-3 at the plate batting in the nine hole.

UP NEXT

• The Lions are back in action tomorrow to take on 15th-ranked Berry and sixth-ranked Virginia Wesleyan. First pitch in TCNJ's opener against the Vikings is at 9:30 a.m.